I Love you, Chester B
by Nubiangeek63
Summary: The Phantom meets his match and his great love.


Title: I Love you, Chester B.  
  
Author: Nubiangeek  
  
Summary: The Phantom meets his match and his great love.  
  
Rating: PG - R (I haven't decided)  
  
Chester B. Kelly, Chet to his friends, was also known as the Phantom  
  
especially to his co-worker John Gage. In fact, to John Gage Chet was a pure  
  
nemesis. Nothing was out of reach or sacred to the Phantom. Well, it was  
  
time that the Phantom got his due, or so everybody thought.  
  
It all started when the Phantom played a prank on Joe Davis over at  
  
eighteen's. He had his famous sister, known from other pranks, call Joe's  
  
wife and make a date. Chet had received a punch in the nose for his trouble.  
  
So, the guy's at eighteen's and at fifty-one decided to get together and  
  
figure out what to do with Chet.  
  
"What is something that would really hurt Chet, not physically of  
  
course, although it did feel good to punch him out." Joe was sort of  
  
rambling, but the guys knew where he was coming from.  
  
"Well, he's sort of self-conscious about his love life, or the lack of  
  
a love life." Johnny laughed as did a few of the others. Roy was there,  
  
but only by duress. Even though Roy had also suffered at the hands of the  
  
Phantom, he didn't want to do any kind of retaliation.  
  
"It will just make him angry and make him want to get us back." Which,  
  
in Roy's mind would just start everything all over again.  
  
"What if we got a girl to make a date with him and not show?" someone  
  
suggested. some liked this idea, some did not.  
  
"That's not good enough. We have to make him really care about the girl  
  
before we end it." That sounded a lot better.  
  
"I know a girl that's an actress. We can get her to call Chet." The  
  
plan was taking shape and it just might work. Even though Roy was not part  
  
of the plan, he was sworn to secrecy.  
  
The next shift all at fifty-one waited for the fateful phone call with  
  
bated breath. When the call finally came, each one had to bite their  
  
tongues and hold their mouths to keep from saying anything or laughing.  
  
Her name was Michelle and she called about two o'clock that afternoon.  
  
She asked for someone who wasn't there and so, she had the wrong number.  
  
Everyone made sure that Chet was the one that answered the phone."Who is this?" The girl on the other end asked just as she had been  
  
instructed.  
  
"Uh - my name is Chet." Chet was a bit annoyed and wanted to get off  
  
the phone - at first.  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering. You have a really nice voice." Chet was  
  
surprised and then he turned on the Chet charm.  
  
"You think I have a nice voice, huh? Well, you have a nice voice to -  
  
uh. . . " He purposely paused so that she would have to fill in her name.  
  
"Michelle . . .my name is Michelle. Say, would you like to get dinner  
  
or something?" Chet was again surprised. He rarely got offers like this.  
  
"Sure, I'd love to have dinner. Uh - I'm a fireman so I have really  
  
strange hours. Are you doing anything on Tuesday?" They kept going through  
  
dates. Of course, the guys had Chet's schedule, so it was easy for her to  
  
say that she was busy on the very days that he was free.  
  
"Well, it looks like we won't be able to get together for a while. We  
  
can talk on the phone though." Chet was very anxious to meet her now.  
  
"Wait, maybe I can get someone to switch. What's your phone number.  
  
I'll call you back if I can get someone to swap." Chet got off the phone and  
  
immediately went to all of the guys to see if they would switch. Of course,  
  
the guys all knew that Chet would be doing that, so they were prepared to  
  
say 'no'. They even coerced Roy into saying 'no'.  
  
Chet called Michelle back that night. He was really surprised when  
  
she answered the phone. He had his  
  
own doubts about Michelle and thought that it was a trick, too.  
  
"I'm sorry, Michelle. I tried to get someone to switch with me, but I  
  
didn't have any luck." He was really sorry, because he was dying to meet  
  
Michelle.  
  
"Well, like I said before, we can talk on the phone until we're able  
  
to meet."  
  
After that, she and Chet talked on the phone for nearly an hour.  
  
This really upset the other guys who were all expecting phone call themselves.  
  
They talked about all kinds of things. They talked about their likes  
  
ad dislikes. He asked her what her job and what her hobbies were. It turned  
  
out that Michelle was an actress. She decided not to lie about that. She  
  
explained to Chet that she was waiting for her big break, but was trying to  
  
be realistic about it. She took odd jobs, usually acting jobs while waiting  
  
for her big break.OF course, Chet explained about being a fireman. He explained that he  
  
had always wanted to be a fireman since he was a little kid. He made  
  
Michelle laugh and before she knew it, she was enjoying herself.  
  
When Captain Stanley finally made him get off the phone, it seemed as  
  
if they knew each other forever.  
  
Meanwhile, in the background, the guys were laughing themselves silly.  
  
This girl was really good, they whispered to each other. She was really  
  
stringing him along. they were each looking forward to that magical moment  
  
when the trap was sprung.  
  
"She is one wonderful girl. She's an actress, you know. She's  
  
probably gorgeous. She's talented too." Chet was just rattling on and on  
  
and the guys were loving it.  
  
"So Chet, when do you get to meet this girl?" Johnny thought that it  
  
was hilarious and so did the rest of the guys.  
  
"Well, we're having trouble with our schedules for the next few weeks."  
  
Johnny snickered.  
  
"Oh, that's too bad. Would be great to meet her." The other guys were  
  
trying really hard not crack up.  
  
I have to meet her, Chet said to himself. I just have to.  
  
Chet thought about the things that they had talked about. She was doing  
  
a commercial on one of Chet's days off. Luckily for him, Michelle was  
  
telling the truth.  
  
So, on his day off, Chet paid very special attention to what he wore  
  
and made sure that his hair and mustache were just right. Then, he headed  
  
down to the studio where Michelle was filming.  
  
Michelle had not been told the specifics of what the firemen wanted her  
  
to do. She did know that it had to do with playing a practical joke on  
  
someone. they then told her the specifics like: make sure that she was busy  
  
when he wasn't. . . that sort of thing. What the hey, it was an acting job.  
  
But, what she didn't expect was for Chet to show up on the set of her  
  
commercial.  
  
"Hi, Michelle. I'm Chet." Michelle tried not to react too negatively  
  
when she saw him. The truth was, Chet had sounded kind of interesting on  
  
the phone and she would have loved to meet him, but that was not part of the  
  
job. But, here was her chance to meet Chet . She was really impressed that  
  
he had come all the way down here trying to find her."Chet, it's really great to meet you." She was beautiful. She had  
  
dark brown curly hair, a gorgeous smile and eyes, and a great figure.  
  
Suddenly Chet was tongue-tied.  
  
"Uh - H-H-Hi I'm Chet. Oh, I said that. U-m-m-m-m I wanted to see if I  
  
could see you today - maybe after you finish shooting your com-m-ercial." He  
  
was very nervous and couldn't get his mouth to work right. Michelle thought  
  
that it was cute.  
  
"I'd love to. I'll be finished in just a few more minutes." What was  
  
she doing? But, the more she analyzed it, the more she saw that she wasn't  
  
actually breaking the contract. They didn't actually say that she couldn't  
  
go out with him if he came looking for her. She smiled deviously.  
  
They went out to dinner, nothing fancy, but they weren't really  
  
interested in the food. They sat there for hours it seemed just talking. It  
  
was not joke that Michelle thought that he was cute with his curly hair and  
  
mustache. and once you got to know him, when he wasn't so nervous, he was  
  
very interesting.  
  
When they left, they walked along the tree-lined street still talking  
  
and laughing together. When he took her back to her apartment that evening,  
  
it suddenly occurred to both of them that they had been with each other since  
  
ten o'clock that morning.  
  
"I-I don't know what to say. . ." All of the talking an joking was  
  
over. Chet was serious now. He took her into his arms and kissed her before  
  
he could back out. He kissed her deeply as his fingers sifted through her  
  
hair. He smelled her perfume and thought that he was in heaven.  
  
Michelle's first thought was that he was a very good kisser. He put  
  
everything he had into that kiss and she could tell. They slowly parted but  
  
continued looking into each other's eyes.  
  
"Wow!" She finally said and that was all that was said because Chet  
  
couldn't even speak.  
  
Michelle unlocked the door and they both went inside. They still  
  
couldn't speak, so they continued kissing. Chet could feel himself getting  
  
lost and started slowing down. Michelle could feel him stopping and was  
  
wondering why he was.  
  
"What's the matter Chet?" She asked shakily. Chet didn't know, he  
  
just knew that if he didn't stop, he would be totally lost.  
  
"I just need a minute. . ." was all he could say. They went into the  
  
living room and Chet sat down on the couch. He kept thinking that thingswere happening way too fast.  
  
"Would you like some coffee?" He nodded. As Michelle went into the  
  
kitchen to get the coffee. She analyzed her feelings. She could really fall  
  
for this guy, but something was wrong. He was holding something back, but  
  
she didn't know what it was.  
  
When she arrived back from the kitchen with the coffee, she saw that  
  
Chet was lost in thought.  
  
"Do you want cream or sugar?" she asked lightly. Chet held up his hand  
  
to refuse both.  
  
"Chet, what's the matter? You didn't want to kiss me?" He could see  
  
that there were tears in her eyes and he realized that his actions have led  
  
her to believe that there was something wrong with her which was defiantly  
  
not his intention.  
  
"Michelle. . ." He took her into his arms and held her. It felt good.  
  
"It wasn't you - it was me. I got scared of what I was feeling. It  
  
was too soon." She could see now that he was struggling with his feelings.  
  
She smiled.  
  
"It's alright. We'll just take things as they come. No pressure." She  
  
ran her fingers through his hair which made him shudder.  
  
"Good morning, gentlemen." Chet was practically singing. the other  
  
guys looked at him strangely.  
  
"Uh - how was your weekend, Chet?" Johnny asked incredulously. The  
  
look on Chet's face told them that he was just waiting for them to ask him  
  
that question.  
  
"I had the most wonderful two days off that I've ever had in my life.  
  
The girl that I met on the phone, Michelle, we had the most wonderful time.  
  
. . " The guys looked at one another with mouths wide opened.  
  
"Are you saying that you went out with Michelle?" Marco asked in  
  
disbelief.  
  
Chet looked at them suspiciously. They usually acted strangely when  
  
they were jealous, but this was something different.  
  
"Yes, I went to her commercial shoot and then we went to dinner and  
  
then we spend the night and next day together." They were still looking at  
  
Chet in disbelief.  
  
Did Chet somehow figure out what they had done, thought Johnny. Or,  
  
did Michelle break down and tell him what they had done. they neveractually told her that she couldn't. Or, could it be, that Michelle really  
  
did like Chet? Naw!  
  
Michelle Saxon had just been to a modeling gig which was something that  
  
she did when there were no acting jobs. Today's job was for a hand cream.  
  
So, it was for her hands only, but it was a job. She didn't see the shadowy  
  
figure following down the street.  
  
She was happy - happier than she had been in a long time. Chet was a  
  
wonderful guy. He was much different than the guy that the other firemen  
  
that hired her had described. She got the distinct feeling that these men  
  
didn't know him as well as they thought. He was a very thoughtful and caring  
  
lover which mad it hard for her to believe that he was the Phantom.  
  
Although, he did admit to being the Phantom, she just attributed it to  
  
having a warped sense of humor.  
  
On her next date with him, she would be fixing dinner for him. She  
  
could hardly wait to see him again. This was really strange for her, these  
  
feelings that she was having. She was no innocent. She had had many lovers  
  
in the past. Some were one night stands and others she had relationships  
  
with. But, Chet was different. There was something different about him.  
  
"Hey Joe, that girl that you hired, her and Kelly are going out  
  
together. You said that it wouldn't get that far. What's going on?" Joe  
  
kind of hung her head and hemmed and hawed around.  
  
"Well, she - uh - quit. she really does like Chet and doesn't want  
  
to hurt his feelings. She gave us back the money that we gave her." The  
  
others thought that it was really strange that this girl liked Chet.  
  
Hi honey." She said when she answered the door. Chet kissed her. He  
  
had missed her tremendously. His feelings for her were still scaring him,  
  
but he decided to just let it ride. He was having too good a time.  
  
Michelle wanted to tell him about the trick that his buddies played and  
  
how she had bowed out, but she didn't feel as if it were her place to tell  
  
on his friends. She hoped that it all would be forgotten.  
  
Outside in the shadows, he was watching. He didn't like the new guy  
  
she was dating. Of course, he didn't like any of the guys she dated. She  
  
was out of control. she had to be taught a lesson. He was the only one for  
  
her. He had to convince her that this was true. But first, he had to getrid of Chet Kelly.  
  
The next day, while Chet was back at work, Michelle was cleaning her  
  
apartment when HE showed up.  
  
"Hello Shelly, it's been what, two, three months." Michelle whirled  
  
around. There was only one person that called her Shelly and she hoped to  
  
God it wasn't him. It was.  
  
"W-What are you doing here? Look, I told you that it was over." While  
  
she was saying this she was backing away. One of the reasons that she broke  
  
up with Chris was because he was so possessive, and he was violent. Chris  
  
threw a chair out of the way as he came toward her. This really made her  
  
scared.  
  
"Don't worry sugar, I'm not going to kill you. Maybe I'll just hurt  
  
you a little."  
  
Michelle picked up a poker from the fireplace and held it up in a threatening  
  
manner.  
  
"Oh no, officer, she threatened me with a poker, so I had to deck  
  
her." She lowered the poker as she realized that this was true.  
  
"Besides, there's something I want you to do for me." He was right in  
  
her face now. She was terrified.  
  
"I want you to get rid of your new boyfriend." To him it was a very  
  
simple request - one that she should have no problem complying with.  
  
"You're joking aren't you? Chet is the best thing that's ever happened  
  
to me. Why would I want to get rid of him?" The answer almost roared itself  
  
in her ears. Chris wanted her back.  
  
"I want you to break up with that guy as soon as possible or he might  
  
have a very serious accident." Although Michelle knew that Chris had a  
  
menacing spirit, she wasn't quite sure that he could pull this accident off  
  
- not enough brains.  
  
"I'm not going back to you and if you try to hurt Chet, I'll go to the  
  
police. Now, get out of my apartment." She had the phone in her hand now  
  
and could easily call the police. But, it wasn't necessary.  
  
"Alright, but I want you to remember that I did warn you, Shelly" With  
  
that, he left.  
  
The klaxons sounded and engine fifty-one as well as squad fifty-one were  
  
called to a structure fire. It sounded very routine. Chet had gotten betterat thinking about Michelle and doing his job at the same time. There was  
  
also something else he was thinking about in reference to Michelle. He was  
  
just working on the fine tuning.  
  
When they arrived at the fire they saw that the structure was almost  
  
completely engulfed. Chet and the others got out the hoses and went to work  
  
the fire. Johnny and Roy set about finding out if everyone had gotten out  
  
safely. Chet and Marco were working on a particular hot spot, when the  
  
structure started to collapse. Chet's last thought was of Michelle before he  
  
blacked out.  
  
"Johnny, Roy get in there. Chet and Marco are in trouble!" Captain  
  
Stanley called out. Johnny and Roy looked to the direction that the Cap was  
  
pointing to. It didn't look good. Cap had also called for another line to  
  
be brought in so that Johnny and roy could actually get to Chet and Marco.  
  
When they were finally pulled out, Johnny and Roy set up everything and  
  
started checking them out. Marco, who was in the back got away with a few  
  
scratches and bruises. Chet, on the other hand, had suffered the full  
  
impact of the ceiling.  
  
Roy found Michelle's telephone number in Chet's wallet at the hospital  
  
and decided to call her and tell her about Chet's condition.  
  
When Michelle received the phone call from Roy DeSoto, she felt numb.  
  
She always knew that Chet getting hurt was a possibility due to the nature of  
  
his work. But, after her frightening visit from Chris, there was another  
  
danger. She thoroughly believed, now, that Chris would hurt, even kill,  
  
Chet if she didn't go back to him. No matter how much it would hurt her,  
  
she knew what she must do.  
  
Michelle arrived at the hospital and was more calm on the outside than  
  
she felt on the inside. She checked in at the nurse's station and found out  
  
that Chet was in surgery to stop some internal bleeding. She found a seat in  
  
the waiting area and said a little prayer for Chet. She saw the two firemen  
  
looking around and thought that, maybe, they were here for Chet. she went  
  
over to them.  
  
"Excuse me, are you friends of Chet Kelly?" she was surprised at her  
  
own voice when she spoke. It was soft and a little high-pitched. She wanted  
  
to cry.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Roy DeSoto, I'm the one that called you. this is my  
  
partner John Gage. We work with Chet at fifty-one. Did they tell you that  
  
he's in surgery right now? they think he's going to be okay." She took itall in as well as was expected. They came over with her to sit down in the  
  
waiting area.  
  
Johnny couldn't get over how pretty she was. he kept trying to picture  
  
Chet with this beautiful girl and couldn't. Soon after, Dr. Brackett came  
  
out to tell them that Chet was out of surgery and looked good.  
  
"Can I see him, please?" Dr. Brackett took in the sight of the young  
  
girl that looked as if she were going to cry.  
  
"Dr. Brackett, this is Michelle Saxon. Chet's girlfriend." Dr.  
  
Brackett smiled.  
  
"Yes, you can see him. he's in the recovery room right now. I'll  
  
show you the way."  
  
He then led her to the recovery room where Chet was still sleeping for  
  
the anesthesia. Michelle went in and sat in the chair by the bed. Now that  
  
she was somewhat alone, she began to cry. She was falling in love with him.  
  
She knew that now. She laid her head down on his chest and cried some more.  
  
A few seconds later, Chet was awake and running his fingers through her  
  
hair.  
  
"Please don't cry." He managed to say. Michelle raised her head and  
  
looked into Chet's brown eyes. She was so happy that he was alright. She  
  
hated what she knew that she had to do, but she decided to wait until he was  
  
out of the hospital.  
  
Two days later, Michelle was helping Chet into his apartment. Aside  
  
from being a little sore from the operation, Dr. Brackett said that Chet was  
  
fine and would be back at work within the week. Michelle was still dreading  
  
what she had to do.  
  
"Chet, there's something that I need to talk to you about." Chet had  
  
something that he wanted to talk to her about as well. He had been planning  
  
to ask Michelle to marry him, but his plans seemed to be derailed because of  
  
the accident.  
  
"There's something that I want to talk to you about, too. But, you go  
  
first." Michelle had no idea what he wanted to talk about, but she was  
  
still nervous.  
  
"I need to break up with you." Chet looked at her as if he couldn't  
  
believe what she was saying. Maybe, he didn't hear her right.  
  
"W-What did you say?" He wanted her to repeat herself, but in a way hedidn't want her to repeat it.  
  
"I need to break up with you. I mean after what happened the other  
  
day you can see why I can't put up with worrying about you all of the time."  
  
Michelle had come up with this excuse to make it all seem more credible. She  
  
looked at Chet. He was still trying to take everything in. She could tell  
  
that he didn't want to believe it.  
  
"Michelle, if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny." He  
  
struggled to say.  
  
She almost gave it away when he said this. Boy, did she hate this. She  
  
had to get out of there before she lost it.  
  
"Well, I need to be going." Before Chet could say anything else,  
  
Michelle left.  
  
Chet felt terrible. Aside from the pain from the surgery, this whole  
  
thing with Michelle was too much.  
  
In considerable pain, Chet went to the one place that had felt like  
  
home. He went to the station. He needed to talk to someone. Heck, even  
  
talking to Gage might make him feel better.  
  
The gang at the station was surprised to see him, of course. He had  
  
just gotten out of the hospital that day and they knew that Michelle was  
  
picking him up at the hospital and taking him home.  
  
"Chet, what are you doing here?" They all expressed their pleasure in  
  
seeing him. But, they could tell that something was wrong.  
  
"Hey, uh - Chet I thought that Michelle was coming to the hospital to  
  
take you home."  
  
Chet looked very uncomfortable.  
  
"Gage, I need to talk to you." Chet looked weirder than usual, so  
  
Johnny was happy to comply even if it was just to find out what was going on.  
  
They went into the locker room and Johnny sat down on the bench and  
  
waited for Chet to explain what was going on. He didn't expect what happened  
  
next.  
  
"Johnny, Michelle left me. What am I going to do?" Chet was crying  
  
now. He couldn't help it. Johnny, who was definitely taken off-guard by  
  
all of this, was at a loss for words. He finally said, "I thought she  
  
decided not to go through with it." Chet looked at Johnny suspiciously.  
  
"What are you talking about. She decided not to go through with what?"  
  
Johnny wished that he could bit his tongue. He hadn't meant to tell Chet  
  
about the prank, but after what Chet told him, it seemed the most logicalexplanation. But, Michelle seemed to be such a level-headed girl. He  
  
didn't know why she would have done this to Chet.  
  
Chet, on the other hand, at this moment looked crushed - like he was  
  
about to jump from a window.  
  
"Look Chet, you have to get a hold of yourself. I know this is a shock  
  
and everything. I mean, it was just a prank. You know, the Phantom."  
  
Johnny thought that he was making Chet feel better, but he was only making  
  
it worse. This, to Chet, only meant that Michelle had absolutely no  
  
feelings for him at all. The thought of this was simply unbearable.  
  
"I've got to get outta here." Chet got up to leave which to Johnny  
  
didn't seem like a good idea.  
  
"Chet, maybe you should let us take you home or you should stay here.  
  
you shouldn't be alone." Chet didn't hear him as he went tearing out of the  
  
station. Johnny felt miserable. He was afraid that his friend was going to  
  
try to hurt himself.  
  
"Guys, I think we have a big problem. . ." He went on to explain to  
  
the guys what he and Chet had talked about.  
  
Chet went back home feeling miserable. He was madly in love with  
  
Michelle and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But, she didn't  
  
want him. Then he became angry. He wasn't angry at Michelle, although he  
  
told himself that he should be. He was angry at himself because things like  
  
this were always happening to him. He would find someone that he thought was  
  
really special and then all he would have to do is wait for something to go  
  
wrong. something always went wrong.  
  
What happened next was uncharacteristic of Chet, but this was an  
  
unusual situation. He began to trash his apartment. When he cam to the  
  
framed picture that Michelle had given him, he started to throw it, but he  
  
couldn't. He loved her. He held the picture and sat in the middle of the  
  
trashed living room. This was how Johnny, Roy and Michelle found him an hour  
  
later.  
  
Michelle had felt worse and worse about what she had to do to Chet and  
  
she was starting to feel guilty. She had gone over to Chet's apartment in  
  
order to tell him the whole thing, but when she arrived, he wasn't home.  
  
This was when he had gone to the station. When he left and came back home,  
  
she had already gone to the station looking for him. That's when she talkedto Johnny and Roy about what she did and then they shared about Chet's weird  
  
behavior at the station. All three concluded that Chet was a danger to  
  
himself. that's when they got permission from Captain Stanley to go to  
  
Chet's apartment. And that's how they found Chet in the middle of his  
  
trashed apartment.  
  
"Chet, oh, Chet. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She ran to him and held  
  
him there on the floor. he thought that he was dreaming. Michelle had left  
  
him, he thought, but she was here.  
  
"I thought that you left me; that you didn't want me anymore." She was  
  
crying now and felt really bad about what she had done.  
  
"I was forced to do that. Someone from my past, not a very nice  
  
someone, threatened to kill you if I didn't break up with you. I didn't want  
  
anyone to hurt you. he proved that he could do it. he was the one that set  
  
the structure fire that you were hurt in." she paused to give him an  
  
opportunity to think it through. He was finally about to focus on what she  
  
was saying.  
  
"Did he hurt you?" Michelle hung her head and pulled up her sleeve  
  
where she had a definite bruise from where he had grabbed her.  
  
"He's also hurt me in the past, so I had not doubt that he would hurt  
  
you. I couldn't let that happen." She ran her fingers through his hair and  
  
kissed him on the cheek.  
  
Johnny and Roy, who were beginning to feel like fifth wheels, were  
  
having trouble believing what they were seeing, although there was no doubt  
  
of Michelle's love for Chet.  
  
"We need to call the police and get this guy arrested." Michelle nodded.  
  
"But first, let's get this mess cleaned up here." Johnny and Roy were  
  
glad that Chet was okay and that Michelle went back to him. After seeing  
  
that everything was okay, they went back to the station.  
  
Chris had been watching and knew that Michelle had not done what he told  
  
her to do. this made him even angrier.  
  
"She's gonna pay." He thought to himself. He felt nothing but hatred  
  
for Chet and for Michelle. He began working on a plan to get back at both of  
  
them. Whatever he decided, he knew that it would involve the death of  
  
someone.  
  
The police had been alerted about Chris and they were looking for him at  
  
that moment. Chris knew that this would probably happen, so he made sure  
  
that he was well hidden.  
  
Chet and Michelle seemed to be back on track. In fact, Chet presented  
  
the ring to Michelle and asked her to marry him.  
  
"Chet, I don't know what to say. I do love you. . ." She was  
  
avoiding things, Chet could tell.  
  
"But, . . . " He had a sad look on his face. she was going to say no,  
  
he just knew it.  
  
"I'm not ready yet. I mean, with all of this stuff with Chris going on  
  
. . . once I know that I'm safe, then I could make a decision." Chet let  
  
out his held breath. at least she didn't say no, he thought. He reached  
  
over and kissed her deeply. He couldn't imagine what life would be like  
  
without her.  
  
A week after the structure fire, Chet went back to work. The guys  
  
welcomed him back which was their custom and they were all very happy that he  
  
and Michelle were back together. He also formally announced the retirement  
  
of the Phantom.  
  
"That Phantom almost cost me the best thing in the world. He's  
  
history." They all agreed.  
  
Michelle, in the meantime, was very careful about where she went and  
  
how she got there. Chet made her promise that when he was on duty that she  
  
spent time with her girlfriends maybe even spending the night at their  
  
houses. She had promised and was now meeting her friend Melinda for lunch.  
  
They were going to her favorite Mexican restaurant and she planned to pig out  
  
because she had no photo shoots that week.  
  
She had not seen Melinda in a while, so she would be able to fill her  
  
in more on Chet. When she arrived at the restaurant, she saw that Melinda  
  
wasn't there yet, so she went ahead and ordered a rink while she waited. A  
  
few minutes later, the waitress came over and told her that there was a  
  
phone call for her. I hope that's not Melinda telling me that she can't make  
  
it. When she reached the phone which was located in a little alcove near the  
  
rest rooms, she picked up the phone. It was dead. Before she had time to  
  
react, a cloth was put over her mouth and the world went black.  
  
Chet was in the break room when Cap came in."Kelly, phone." Chet looked at his watch. It was probably Michelle.  
  
He had asked her to call when she got home that afternoon.  
  
"Hey Michelle. . . " The smile faded from Chet's face.  
  
"What? Did anyone see her leave? Did you all the police? I'm on my  
  
way!" the guys couldn't help notice what was taking place at the phone.  
  
Chet looked scared.  
  
"Cap, I have to leave. Michelle is missing from a restaurant. Her  
  
friend Melinda thinks that Chris has her." He didn't wait for an answer from  
  
Captain Stanley who understood and was already going to the phone to call in  
  
a replacement.  
  
As Chet drove from the station, he thought about what it was that he  
  
could do. it wasn't much, but he felt like he had to go and try to help  
  
find her. He knew that she was probably really scared by now. the night  
  
after they got back together, Michelle told Chet about her tumultuous  
  
relationship with Chris. She spoke with little emotion about the beatings  
  
and humiliation she suffered at Chris' hands. They cried together and Chet  
  
held her afterward. Now, as he thought about the things that she told him,  
  
he began to ear for her life.  
  
Chet arrived at the restaurant where he met Melinda who was talking to  
  
the police.  
  
"Hi, I'm Chet." Melinda, who had been crying, instinctively went  
  
over and hugged him.  
  
"I'm sorry Chet. When I came out to my car, my tire had been  
  
slashed. I had a friend change it, but I was late getting here. When I  
  
arrived and asked about her, the maitre'd told me that she ha a phone call.  
  
that was the last time that he saw her. the police seem to think that Chris  
  
was waiting in the rest room until she came. No one saw her being taken out,  
  
but he could have taken her out of the rest room window which lets out into  
  
the alley." Chet had tried to believe that anything else had happened, but  
  
it now looked like she had been taken. Surely she would have called if  
  
something else had happened.  
  
"We have a description of the guy and of the young lady and we're doing  
  
all that we can to find them. But, the problem is that he knows that we're  
  
looking for him."  
  
Michelle was a bit fuzzy as she woke up. Also, her mouth felt like  
  
cotton. she was a little confused, at first, then she remembered that  
  
someone had taken her when she went to the phone. She had only one guess as  
  
to who had taken her.  
  
"You're awake, Shelly. here, you need to eat something." Chris  
  
offered her a sandwich, but she didn't feel like eating. She wanted Chet  
  
and started to cry.  
  
"Oh, don't give me the tears, Shelly. you brought this on yourself,  
  
you know. If you had just followed my instructions and gotten rid of that  
  
guy, you wouldn't be in this mess." he was now trying to blame it on her.  
  
For some reason, in the back of her mind, she thought about the  
  
psychological ramifications that he was going through. It was the basic  
  
pattern of an abusive personality - blaming the victim for what he is doing.  
  
It felt strange to be thinking about Psychology 101, but she had to think of  
  
anything to get her mind off of what Chris might do to her.  
  
"So, this is the great Chet Kelly that I've heard so much about."  
  
Melinda was trying to make light in spite of the circumstances. Chet sort of  
  
blushed as he realized that Michelle had been talking about him.  
  
"What did she say about me?" Melinda smiled. Michelle had been right  
  
about Chet's sense of humor.  
  
"All I know is that she has been happier since she met you than I've  
  
ever seen her especially since she broke up with that scum Chris." She  
  
hadn't meant to mention Chris' name, but it seemed as if the subject  
  
couldn't be avoided.  
  
"She loves you, you know." Chet reacted as if it were news to him. He  
  
had always wondered if Michelle loved him, but he was afraid to ask.  
  
"She said that you were something special that she couldn't let go."  
  
Chet looked as if her were going to cry.  
  
"We have to get her back, Melinda. Can you think of anywhere Chris  
  
might take her? Did she ever talk about someplace that they went together?"  
  
Melinda thought for a minute.  
  
"She talked about a cabin that they used to go up to. He said that it  
  
belonged to his uncle or somebody." Chet smiled."Do you remember where it was or his uncle's name?"  
  
Chet called the police and gave them the information that Melinda  
  
came up with. Within the hour they called back and said that they had a  
  
location for the cabin.  
  
"Please, can I be there when you go. She needs me." Lt. Talbot  
  
told him to meet them at the cabin, but to wait until they could take Chris  
  
into custody. Chet and Melinda left immediately.  
  
When Chet and Melinda arrived at the cabin, the police already had  
  
the cabin surrounded. Chet was nervous. What if Chris saw the police and  
  
decided to kill Michelle and then himself. Were they sure that Chris hadn't  
  
killed her already.  
  
Chris had tied Michelle to chair when he realized that she was not  
  
coming back to him willingly. He had also hit her twice and she was now  
  
floating somewhere between consciousness and semi-consciousness. She kept  
  
trying to think about other things, but each time her mind wandered back to  
  
Chet she started to cry. Chris slapped her again. This time a trickle of  
  
blood flowed from her lip.  
  
The S.W.A.T. team slowly made their move toward the house. So far,  
  
Chris hadn't noticed that the police were there which was good. They made it  
  
all the way to the back window and were able to see Michelle tied up. Once  
  
the SWAT team was in place they radioed back to the commanding officer that  
  
they were in place.  
  
"The SWAT team is in place. We're going to try to take him out." Chet  
  
looked worried.  
  
"The girl's not in the way is she?" The commander rolled his eyes. He  
  
was beginning to regret having invited this guy. The commander radioed back  
  
for them to be prepared to take the guy out.  
  
"Chris Larkin. This is the police we have you surrounded. Let you  
  
hostage go and come out throwing your weapon out first." The SWAT team at  
  
the back of the house watched as Chris was about to go over and grab his  
  
hostage. The marksman shot Chris before he could make his way over to  
  
Michelle. The marksman radioed back that they had him."We have him. Everybody move in." Chet, realizing that it was over,  
  
followed the rest of the policemen into the house.  
  
When they busted down the door, they found Chris lying on the floor  
  
and Michelle tied up in the chair. Her head was slumped over. Chet ran over  
  
to the chair thinking that she had been shot. She was alright, though, but  
  
her face was bruised and she was bleeding.  
  
"Michelle, honey. are you alright?" Chet lovingly raised her head  
  
and kissed her bruised face.  
  
"It's alright. You're okay now." She was crying, but it was only  
  
because she was so happy to be in Chet's arms. As the police came in to  
  
collect Chris, Chet decided to take Michelle to Rampart to get her checked  
  
out.  
  
It had been a long day and now Michelle was tucked into her bed with  
  
Chet right there watching over her. He made a vow to himself that he would  
  
never let her out of his sight.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Chet?" he couldn't help it any longer.  
  
He had to tell her how he felt.  
  
"I was thinking about how much I love you and I was wondering if you  
  
have given any thought to the question that I asked you the other day." He  
  
wall trembling as he anticipated her answer.  
  
"Oh, you mean when you asked me to marry you and I said that I had to  
  
wait until everything was over? Everything is over, isn't it?" Chet  
  
nodded. the suspense was killing him.  
  
"The answer is yes, I'll marry you. I love you Chester B. with all  
  
of my heart. And, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Chet was  
  
so happy that he took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Even  
  
though he had given up the Phantom, he had to thank the Phantom for all of  
  
the happiness that he was feeling right now.  
  
If We Were Lovers  
  
(written by G. Estefan and E.Estefan, Jr.)  
  
Chorus:  
  
One day soon  
  
It's gonna happen just by chanceYou and I  
  
Will just succumb to this romance  
  
On that day my love will find you  
  
And you'll discover what a wonder life can be  
  
And you will know how much I love you  
  
If we were lovers  
  
If we were more than just good friends  
  
I know how good it could be  
  
Just by the way you're looking at me  
  
As if we were lovers  
  
If we were lovers  
  
I've waited so long for that day  
  
I think you feel the same way  
  
You try so hard not to give it away  
  
Afraid that I'll discover  
  
What in your heart you know  
  
Is meant to be  
  
But darlin' if you want it to be me  
  
To be the one to say 'I want you'  
  
Then I'm telling you now  
  
Gonna find a way somehow  
  
To be your lover  
  
To spend the whole night making love  
  
Then find it's never enough  
  
Just think what we are giving up  
  
Everyday that we're not lovers  
  
Few times in our lives  
  
Can we feel this way  
  
It could be a shame  
  
Just to throw it away  
  
Time is slipping by  
  
We don't know what's ahead  
  
I don't want to look back  
  
And have any regrets  
  
Chorus  
  
How much I love you 


End file.
